Find Me Again
by MidnightEden234
Summary: When a date goes horribly, horrendously wrong for 21 year old Ichigo Kurosaki, it's up to someone else to pick up the shattered pieces of his heart. However, with Ichigo's fragile trust, will Shirosaki be able to break through Ichigo's barriers and find the once confident Kurosaki underneath? / One-shot / HichiIchi
**Summary: When a date goes horribly, horrendously wrong for 21 year old Ichigo Kurosaki, it's up to someone else to pick up the shattered pieces of his heart. However, with Ichigo's fragile trust, will Shirosaki be able to break through Ichigo's barriers and find the once confident Kurosaki underneath?**

 **Rating: T**

* * *

Shirosaki could see that bright orange hair from a mile away. In fact, it the first thing about the man that had immediately caught his attention from across the bar. After a small bit of staring, Shiro noticed the man's flustered cheeks, tan skin and warm brown eyes. They had Shiro wanting the male all the more.

So why hadn't Shiro approached the man already?

Shiro was a confident, tall and - he supposed - sexy individual that was in no means shy, so it wasn't something about Shiro that had him avoiding the orange haired stranger. No... it was the fact that a bright emerald ring had been plastered on the orangette's fourth finger. Some lucky bastard had gotten to the perfect human being before he could. He supposed that's who the man was waiting for, his partner, since the male was sitting at a table for two.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the pale man currently staring at him like he was four course meal. Ichigo didn't find himself attractive in any way, especially not if his fiancee couldn't even be bothered to show up for their one-year anniversary.

Both men kept their gazes locked. Ichigo glared at the ring on his finger and Shiro gawked at the sight of the hot orange-head.

That was, until, a blue-haired male approached the table. "Excuse me, sir... I've been informed that the reservation for this table has expired. We need it for our next guests..."

Ichigo chuckled dryly. Honestly, he'd been waiting for an hour already, so why did this still surprise him? "Thanks... I'll take the tab then."

The blue-haired male smiled sadly, "Don't worry about it sir. I know what it feels like to be stood up. I'll pay for your food, you can just head out..."

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "I can't let you do that. You've been patient enough to deal with me for an hour. I'll tip you extra-"

When a pale arm stretched across his vision, Ichigo was immediately shocked silent. Shiro smirked and said, "I'll cover for him... and here's 25% extra for your troubles."

The waiter smiled and took the cash. "Thank you… I hope the rest of your evening goes better."

Ichigo watched the waiter leave with foggy, distant eyes, before it occurred to him that the stranger was still there. He turned to the pale man. "Thank you, as well..." His eyes locked on the golden orbs the stranger had. They were the most amazing eyes he'd ever seen: the colour a harvest-moon-gold surrounding by a sea of inky black.

"My name in Shirosaki. Please, call me Shiro." Shiro extended his hand to the man. "And you are?"

"My friends call me Ichigo..." Ichigo dismissed the hand. His eyes hadn't left the stranger's eyes. "Thanks for that... I'd like to repay you, but I should really be getting home. I think I'd be nothing more than a buzz kill now..."

"Nonsense, my friend." Ichigo vaguely noticed the stranger's hand on his shoulder. "You need a drink. Come, sit with me."

Shiro's almost hypnotic eyes made Ichigo unable to refuse. "Sure..."

Ichigo followed Shiro away from the restaurant tables and towards a counter. He sat down on the red leather stool and sighed, actually a little eager to relax his posture from the way he was forced to sit in the chair. He hadn't noticed Shiro order anything until two glasses appeared in front of them. They smelled fruity, the stick hanging off the side with cherries and pineapples confirming his thoughts. Ichigo smiled a little and took a sip from the drink. It was strong, but the fruit actually helped to dull the alcohol flavour. Ichigo turned to Shiro, finally able to focus. He noticed Shiro was speaking, but he hadn't really been paying attention. "What?" Ichigo questioned.

"What do you think?" Shiro replied with an amused smirk.

"It's good…" Ichigo turned his eyes back down to the drink and stirred the liquid with the fruit covered stick. He took another sip. _Mmm…_ It was even better as the fruit juices lingered in the alcohol.

"It's my favourite." Shiro added, and ordered another two. Ichigo brought the cherry to his lips. He idly licked the juice off of it before popping the cherry into his mouth. Shiro had to bite his bottom lip to keep from making any sounds. Ichigo was way cuter up close, and that innocent action had Shiro wanting to ravish the berry's lips like how Ichigo had devoured that cherry.

"How often do you come here?"

Shiro blinked, and a little chuckle escaped his throat. "Why? Ya gonna start coming here more often?"

Ichigo frowned - and Shiro thought, _I said something wrong, didn't I?_

Ichigo then muttered, "No offense, but I think I just want to forget this place even exists." He wasn't sure why he was being so honest. Then again, it might've been because Ichigo finally felt relaxed enough to release some steam. Ichigo grabbed his drink and swallowed the whole thing. Then he stripped the next drink's stick of its fruit and downed the blue liquid.

"Whoa! Hold on there, Ichigo…" Shiro placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder. This time the orangette felt it, and how tender the hold was… compared to his ass of a soon-to-be-husband's. "You don't want to drink too many of these too quickly… They'll knock you right out."

" _Good._ " Ichigo spat, then he eyed Shiro's untouched second drink. "I'd rather forget this whole evening and wake up with a hangover, then remember the billionth time that asshole's ditched me…" Ichigo played with the stick in his hand. The alcohol had hit him hard, then again he wasn't much of a drinker.

"Ichigo…" Shiro didn't want to take advantage of the situation, but he couldn't help feeling bad for the berry. He did want to comfort him, but he wasn't sure how. So instead he asked, "Has… this person… done this to you before?"

Ichigo snapped the stick. "Hundreds of times. Dirty bastard… Just last month I was away at a Doctor's conference, and I got a call sayin' my no-good partner went out drinkin' and came home with a young hottie… Didn't leave our apartment until that morning."

Shiro moved the drink away from Ichigo before he stole it. "So… he cheats on you?"

Ichigo nodded. "Plenty of times… He told me he would change for me once we got engaged. I believed him… but now look. He stood me up again, and the last three times he told me it was a business meeting…" Ichigo fished something out of his back pocket: a cellphone. "Watch…" He dialed the numbers with precision, as though he'd practiced this hundreds of times before. The phone rang twice before a woman picked up.

"Hello?"

Ichigo held the phone between himself and Shiro. "Hey… Orihime, this is Ichigo. Is… Is he in?"

The girl took on a saddened tone. "No… he told me he was leaving early to come see you. Ichigo, he didn't show up again, did he? Do you want to come stay at my-?"

"No." Ichigo said sternly. "Don't worry about it, Orihime… I'm fine. Bye."

He hung up the phone before she had a chance to say more.

Shiro frowned, "She seems to like you, Ichigo. Maybe you should've taken her offer."

Ichigo shook his head. "Last time…" Ichigo looked at his ring. "He tried to kill Orihime last time, beat her up… No one knows. She's gonna move far away by the end of this year. I don't want her tied to me, where she'll get hurt…" Ichigo slouched and Shiro moved to catch him. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me… I'm not worth it. I can't make anyone happy and I most certainly don't deserve to be happy-"

"Don't say that." Shiro spoke sternly. "Everyone deserves to be happy. Even you."

Ichigo stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You're stupid… There's no future fer people like me… worthless… stupid… ugly…" Ichigo moved to stand. "I think I should go home now…"

"Home? To that monster who's going to hurt you?"

Ichigo gave Shiro a look that was somewhere between pout and frown. "I have no where else to go…"

Shiro shook his head. "You're coming with me."

Ichigo's eyes widened, but he was in no state to protest. He was exhausted and, for the most part, drunk. He slumped fully against Shiro and allowed the man to carry him. Shiro turned to the bartender, muttering something about 'putting it on his tab' before Ichigo lost consciousness.

* * *

When Ichigo woke it was to a soft, warm bed. He was happy with just rolling back over and going to bed, until he realised that the sun was so high in the sky. He was dead meat if he didn't hurry and cook breakfast! Ichigo shot up in bed. One look at his surroundings confirmed it: Ichigo wasn't at home.

"Ah, you're awake! How's the head?"

Ichigo turned his gaze to the door, where Shiro stood with a glass of water and a pill in hand.

When there was no answer, Shiro continued, "Well, after we left the bar, I found out that you had at least one full bottle of red wine to yourself before drinking those two cocktails. I figured you'd be pretty hung over, so I let you sleep…" Shiro approached Ichigo, and all Ichigo could do was follow him with his eyes. "I'll leave these here. I also made food, if you're hungry…"

Ichigo watched him leave the room before he turned back to the pill. He grabbed the glass of water, downed half of it, then popped the pill in his mouth and drank the rest of the water. His head wasn't the bad, actually. He went back to sleep for another half-hour. When he woke again, he felt much better. He found Shiro in the kitchen, and true to his word, the man had made crepes and fruit for breakfast.

Ichigo sat down at the table. Smiling, for once he was able to enjoy breakfast that he hadn't made, and with someone sitting across from him. He cut into the crepes and dug in, enjoying the sweet dough mixed with the tangy fruit.

"What do you think?" Shiro asked.

Ichigo groaned and nodded his approval.

Shiro smiled - and Ichigo noticed he liked the way it looked on the man's face. "I'm glad. I haven't had anyone to share breakfast with in a while."

"This is nice…" Ichigo admitted softly.

"I agree." Shiro must've already eaten, since he had no plate in front of him. Ichigo still enjoyed the company, and every so often he'd look up from his food just to watch Shiro sip coffee. Shiro's motions were gentle and slow, and Ichigo liked them much better than the swift and threatening motions he was used to.

When Ichigo was finished, he set the utensils down with care. "What am I going to do, Shiro?"

The pale man swallowed back his coffee. He placed the mug on the table, and thought for a moment, he teeth gritting away at his bottom lip. After a short while, Shiro replied, "It's up to you, but you're welcome to stay here for a while… until you get yourself back on your feet. I'll go with you, if you want, to get your stuff from your previous living space."

Ichigo nodded. "That'd help… Thanks."

"Don't you worry about it."

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I did make the waiter Grimmjow x3 As for Ichigo's previous lover, I assume you can fill in the blank...**

 **If enough people like this then I may be tempted to write a second chapter. Until then, review to let me know what you think! Also, look for me on tumblr as shiroxichigo, and follow more HichiIchi. (You can also send in asks/requests)**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**


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